Windies hope to build on ODI success by CricketArchive staff reporter

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Event:

India in West Indies 2006

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DateLine: 31st May 2006

 

West Indies fresh from their success in the abridged version are hoping to build on the momentum, when they face India in the first Test of their four-match series, starting on Friday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

 

West Indies rebounded brilliantly after the defeat in the first ODI to win the last four. The hosts appear to have claimed a psychological boost ahead of the Tests, but their captain Brian Lara has advised caution.

 

"We know we have to switch off from the ODI game now and move into the Test series because the ODIs are done and dusted," remarked Lara on eve of the first Test. "In the Test series, we know that it's going to be a tough task to beat India, but we are going to be working really, really hard.’’

 

Lara agreed the ODI series has helped his side’s confidence and mental approach. "The confidence is high, but we can't get carried away. We just came from New Zealand, where we lost a couple of Tests which we came close to winning, and we lost a couple against South Africa earlier last year in similar circumstances, so we have to keep our feet on the ground."

 

The West Indian skipper indicated that he would advise his teammates to refocus on the virtues of Tests to ensure that West Indies does well in the face of tough opposition. Lara added his side should be wary of the fact that India has two great exponents of spin in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. ``They will not be easy to conquer, especially if we get a similar type of pitch for Tests as we got for the ODIs," he said.

 

On the other hand, India will want to quickly forget the ODI series that spiraled out of control, and this time justify the favourites' tag that has been pinned upon them. Indian captain Rahul Dravid said that his side has to regroup after the ODI setback and fight back in the Test series.

 

For West Indies, rated at eight on the International Cricket Council's Test Rankings, they would want to achieve victory over the visitors to give proof that the ODI series triumph was no fluke, and inform the rest of the world that they should take careful notice, as they are well and truly on the rebound. India on the other hand would be looking for their first series win in the Caribbean in 35 years. The only previous triumph in the West Indies in eight tours was in 1971.

 

Opener Daren Ganga is the only new face the visitors will come across in the first Test. India have been fortified with the arrival of five players to replace a similar number of the personnel from the ODIs, so this means that West Indies will have to alter their game plan a bit for the Test series.

 

The ARG pitch has become notorious for being a featherbed in recent times, but head curator Keith Frederick has promised that the pitch will be harder, have a much thicker coating of grass, and should favour the fast bowlers on both sides.

 

Squads:

 

West Indies (from): Brian Lara (captain), Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Dave Mohammed, Runako Morton, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor.

 

India (from): Rahul Dravid (captain), Mahendra Dhoni, Wasim Jaffer, Mohammed Kaif, Dinesh Karthik, Anil Kumble, Venkatsai Laxman, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.